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Mrs. Red Pepper
Mrs. Red Pepper

Chapter III

Cover illustration for Mrs. Red Pepper
Context Illustration Reading 1/73 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.
"But I wanted to catch Red before he got away, and I saw, for a wonder, that there was no vehicle before the door."
"Come in, come in," urged Burns, while Ellen smiled a greeting at her sister, a round-faced, fair-haired, energetic young woman, as different as possible from Ellen's own type.
"Have a chair."
He rose to get it for her, napkin in hand.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Mrs. Red Pepper

Chapter III

Reading 1/73 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.
Line 2
"But I wanted to catch Red before he got away, and I saw, for a wonder, that there was no vehicle before the door."
Line 3
"Come in, come in," urged Burns, while Ellen smiled a greeting at her sister, a round-faced, fair-haired, energetic young woman, as different as possible from Ellen's own type.
Line 4
"Have a chair."
Line 5
He rose to get it for her, napkin in hand.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “"But I wanted to catch Red before he got away, and I saw, for a wonder, that there was no vehicle before the door."”

Come noun US /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"Come in, come in," urged Burns, while Ellen smiled a greeting at her sister, a round-faced, fair-haired, energetic young woman, as different as possible from Ellen's own type.”

Different noun US /ˈdifferent/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “"Come in, come in," urged Burns, while Ellen smiled a greeting at her sister, a round-faced, fair-haired, energetic young woman, as different as possible from Ellen's own type.”

DUTY noun US /ˈduːti/

a responsibility that must be carried out

From this reading “BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.”

Hand noun US /hand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He rose to get it for her, napkin in hand.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “"Have a chair."”

May modal verb US /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading “BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.”

Morning noun US /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.”

While conjunction US /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading “"Come in, come in," urged Burns, while Ellen smiled a greeting at her sister, a round-faced, fair-haired, energetic young woman, as different as possible from Ellen's own type.”

All words in this reading · 70

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading "But I wanted to catch Red before he got away, and I saw, for a wonder, that there was no vehicle before the door."

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.

apologized

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading "Come in, come in," urged Burns, while Ellen smiled a greeting at her sister, a round-faced, fair-haired, energetic young woman, as different as possible from Ellen's own type.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.

away

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "But I wanted to catch Red before he got away, and I saw, for a wonder, that there was no vehicle before the door."

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading "But I wanted to catch Red before he got away, and I saw, for a wonder, that there was no vehicle before the door."

breakfast

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.

BURNS

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading "But I wanted to catch Red before he got away, and I saw, for a wonder, that there was no vehicle before the door."

catch

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "But I wanted to catch Red before he got away, and I saw, for a wonder, that there was no vehicle before the door."

chair

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Have a chair."

ComenounUS /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "Come in, come in," urged Burns, while Ellen smiled a greeting at her sister, a round-faced, fair-haired, energetic young woman, as different as possible from Ellen's own type.

coming

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.

differentnounUS /ˈdifferent/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading "Come in, come in," urged Burns, while Ellen smiled a greeting at her sister, a round-faced, fair-haired, energetic young woman, as different as possible from Ellen's own type.

DOESauxiliary verbUS /dʌz/

the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.

door

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "But I wanted to catch Red before he got away, and I saw, for a wonder, that there was no vehicle before the door."

DUTYnounUS /ˈduːti/

a responsibility that must be carried out

From this reading BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.

Ellen

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Come in, come in," urged Burns, while Ellen smiled a greeting at her sister, a round-faced, fair-haired, energetic young woman, as different as possible from Ellen's own type.

Ellen's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.

energetic

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Come in, come in," urged Burns, while Ellen smiled a greeting at her sister, a round-faced, fair-haired, energetic young woman, as different as possible from Ellen's own type.

Excuse

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.

fair-haired

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Come in, come in," urged Burns, while Ellen smiled a greeting at her sister, a round-faced, fair-haired, energetic young woman, as different as possible from Ellen's own type.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading "Come in, come in," urged Burns, while Ellen smiled a greeting at her sister, a round-faced, fair-haired, energetic young woman, as different as possible from Ellen's own type.

get

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He rose to get it for her, napkin in hand.

got

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "But I wanted to catch Red before he got away, and I saw, for a wonder, that there was no vehicle before the door."

greeting

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Come in, come in," urged Burns, while Ellen smiled a greeting at her sister, a round-faced, fair-haired, energetic young woman, as different as possible from Ellen's own type.

hand

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He rose to get it for her, napkin in hand.

Haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "Have a chair."

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "But I wanted to catch Red before he got away, and I saw, for a wonder, that there was no vehicle before the door."

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading "Come in, come in," urged Burns, while Ellen smiled a greeting at her sister, a round-faced, fair-haired, energetic young woman, as different as possible from Ellen's own type.

HISdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "But I wanted to catch Red before he got away, and I saw, for a wonder, that there was no vehicle before the door."

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading He rose to get it for her, napkin in hand.

late

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.

Macauley

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.

Martha

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.

Maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.

morningnounUS /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.

napkin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He rose to get it for her, napkin in hand.

neighbour

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.

next-door

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading "But I wanted to catch Red before he got away, and I saw, for a wonder, that there was no vehicle before the door."

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.

own

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Come in, come in," urged Burns, while Ellen smiled a greeting at her sister, a round-faced, fair-haired, energetic young woman, as different as possible from Ellen's own type.

possible

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Come in, come in," urged Burns, while Ellen smiled a greeting at her sister, a round-faced, fair-haired, energetic young woman, as different as possible from Ellen's own type.

Red

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "But I wanted to catch Red before he got away, and I saw, for a wonder, that there was no vehicle before the door."

rose

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He rose to get it for her, napkin in hand.

round-faced

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Come in, come in," urged Burns, while Ellen smiled a greeting at her sister, a round-faced, fair-haired, energetic young woman, as different as possible from Ellen's own type.

saw

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "But I wanted to catch Red before he got away, and I saw, for a wonder, that there was no vehicle before the door."

sister

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.

smiled

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Come in, come in," urged Burns, while Ellen smiled a greeting at her sister, a round-faced, fair-haired, energetic young woman, as different as possible from Ellen's own type.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "But I wanted to catch Red before he got away, and I saw, for a wonder, that there was no vehicle before the door."

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading "But I wanted to catch Red before he got away, and I saw, for a wonder, that there was no vehicle before the door."

there

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "But I wanted to catch Red before he got away, and I saw, for a wonder, that there was no vehicle before the door."

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading "But I wanted to catch Red before he got away, and I saw, for a wonder, that there was no vehicle before the door."

type

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Come in, come in," urged Burns, while Ellen smiled a greeting at her sister, a round-faced, fair-haired, energetic young woman, as different as possible from Ellen's own type.

urged

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Come in, come in," urged Burns, while Ellen smiled a greeting at her sister, a round-faced, fair-haired, energetic young woman, as different as possible from Ellen's own type.

vehicle

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "But I wanted to catch Red before he got away, and I saw, for a wonder, that there was no vehicle before the door."

wanted

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "But I wanted to catch Red before he got away, and I saw, for a wonder, that there was no vehicle before the door."

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "But I wanted to catch Red before he got away, and I saw, for a wonder, that there was no vehicle before the door."

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading "Come in, come in," urged Burns, while Ellen smiled a greeting at her sister, a round-faced, fair-haired, energetic young woman, as different as possible from Ellen's own type.

woman

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Come in, come in," urged Burns, while Ellen smiled a greeting at her sister, a round-faced, fair-haired, energetic young woman, as different as possible from Ellen's own type.

wonder

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "But I wanted to catch Red before he got away, and I saw, for a wonder, that there was no vehicle before the door."

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading BURNS DOES HIS DUTY "Excuse me for coming in on you at breakfast," Martha Macauley, Ellen's sister and next-door neighbour, apologized, one morning in late May.

young

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Come in, come in," urged Burns, while Ellen smiled a greeting at her sister, a round-faced, fair-haired, energetic young woman, as different as possible from Ellen's own type.